MASUKA Unveiled: What Does The Anti-Lynching Bill Draft Say?

The draft of Maanav Suraksha Kanoon (MASUKA), a new law to address the menace of mob lynching was unveiled at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on 7 July.

The law is being proposed by the National Campaign Against Mob Lynching – founded by youth leaders Tehseen Poonawalla, Shehla Rashid, Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mewani – as a response to a spate of lynching incidents that have rattled the nation over the last few months.

The drafting committee of the MASUKA, headed by senior Supreme Court lawyer Sanjay Hegde, includes Anas Tanwir and Pranjal Kishore.

The proposed law aims to provide effective protection to vulnerable persons, punish acts of lynching, and provide rehabilitation and compensation for victims and their families.

According to the draft, lynching is defined as:

Any act or series of acts of violence, whether spontaneous or planned, committed to inflict extra judicial punishment, or as an act of protest and caused by the desire of a mob to enforce upon a person or group of persons any perceived legal, societal & cultural norms/ prejudices.